Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Ice Ice Baby

That's my theme song this week. With the roads and trails covered with ice, I don't dare venture out without Yaktrax on. (I tried once the other day and ended up on my butt at the end of the driveway after a comical slow motion fall that fortunately resulted in only a tweaked rotator cuff due to excessive arm windmilling.)

In the past, I have wasted a considerable amount of time and energy griping about our Canadian winters. This year, instead of pining for warmer temperatures, I've decided to embrace winter in all its frosty and frigid glory. And you know what; it's working. Winter came early, hit hard and has shown no signs of abating, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

I'm cross country skiing a couple of times a week instead of running and will try using my new Atlas showshoes for recovery runs. Spending time with friends and money on good winter clothing has made it much easier to love sub-zero activities too.

With my first race of 2013 - a road marathon in Arizona - just over six weeks away, I have also been logging a lot of treadmill miles, which I actually don't mind especially right now as my focus is speed not endurance. For certain workouts, the treadmill is quite practical and I like being about to easily monitor my pace and heart rate. (It also allows me to watch crappy television guilt-free!)

I'm not sure what else to write about. It's the middle of January and there's just not much going on. Instead of a blog post, this is more of a blah-g post - sorry! I'll try to do better next time.

For more on winter training, click here to read Scott Jurek's article "The Long Run: Weathering Winter" from Competitor.com.

Damn - you've exposed me for the wimp I am! I know, other parts of the country have it much worse. I have the upmost respect for those training in "real" Canadian winters (not our half-assed Okanagan version).